Blogs By Tim Girvin
H E L L O,
Designing Brand Experiences and Strong Sensation
Jáime les sensation forte Wind at my back, ocean waves roaring overhead, standing in the middle of the storm-cast river running, & climbing an old tree in the middle of winter, snow falling. I like the strong sensation…and here it is, in the weaving of winds,...
The Kimber Script Logo
Classical lettercraft meets a precision draft, engraved in steel. In the spring cleaning of our moves to GIRVIN’s 16th office location, in the West Queen Anne Elementary School, in Seattle I was sorting through a grouping of files—like a large grouping, dozens of...
Stacking Stones | A Cairn of Ideas
A brand allegory reveals itself in an ancient practice A question for you might be—"have you ever stacked stones?” "And, what for, why did you arrange them?” Start at the bottom, rise up. Stacking stones is a symbolic act and it’s a global proposition— with a...
Attention in the age of distraction
And a good question: what are you paying attention to—and why? As brand people—idealists, founders, makers, strategists, writers, designers, customers and guests—we focus on how our experiencers are paying attention. It’s interesting [as it always is, in my historical...
Designed 250 Years Ago | The Art of Anniversaries
50 years ago, I got my first passport, it was in 1976—a US Bicentennial year. This was my first international travel, alone. I was 23 years old. But it was the beginning of a journey that would change my life. I’d been corresponding with designers in the US, as well...
In the Realm of the Senses and the Empire of the Hand
And gratitude in being. I was talking to a theatrical advertising designer at Paramount Studios about making. And, as creatives, “how do we make?” Imagination, mind, fist, fingers, lips—mouth and tongue, eyes and ears. What we absorb, as humans, and what we express is...
Blandism and the Detailing of Typographic Design Linguistics
What sways to blandishment? A lot of discussions around last week’s blog— and the notion of brand blandism, and some asked, “wait, so you’re saying that san serif is too bland, too plain, not… ‘exciting’ enough?” No, that’s not the point. As I’d mentioned before, in a...
Classical Modernism. What’s old, and what’s new?
Modern Clinicality, Emotional Heritage and Blandism In my history as a designer, lettering artist and calligrapher, I’ve spent decades studying the history of the alphabet, from pre-Christian Greek letterform development, cut in stone and inscribed in pottery, to...
Ever get a KPI in units sold?
As a Brand Expert, ever Get a KPI in units sold, or tonnage? What if you had a project that had a number of units for sale as a core goal—your KPI deliverable? I’m wondering, have you ever been in a situation where the expectation is in millions of units sold, or some...
Humanized Technology with GIRVIN’s Soul Branding
The GIRVIN | Strategic Branding & Design team have a long history in creating pathways to humanize the strategic impressions— and tactical outcomes, in technology brand experience—for enterprise employees, community relationships and customers. In a legacy of...